Burnout is a real term used in psychology to express a syndrome in which a person who works, often in a high demand job, suddenly becomes disillusioned, exhausted and disinterested in work. Work performance suffers, the individual with burnout may seem withdrawn, and some people, feeling that there’s no recovery from the condition, leave careers at which they’ve been very successful, or behave in ways that cause them to get fired. There are different theories as to what causes burnout: some suggest it is related to working in a high stress job for long periods, while others argue it is simply clinical depression.

You’ll note frequent burnout in certain professions, such as medical work (doctors, dentists, nurses) and in teaching, especially in grades K-12. Other professions that seem to produce more burned out workers often involve a high degree of stress, either from the job itself, or from the demands placed on the person by employers or customers. Taxi cab drivers, for instance, are prone to the condition, yet so are air traffic controllers, police and fire service workers, and people in the performance arts. Though people may be more likely to be burned out in these professions, there are many others who spend their lives working at a certain type of job and at some point end up burned out.

Symptoms of being burned out get fairly obvious as the person feels more stressed and exhausted. People are emotionally exhausted, they no longer feel as if they’re effective, and they’re not personally involved in their jobs. Alcohol or drug use may occur or increase, and like a person with depression, it may be hard for these people to attend work.

A burned out employee might use sick days more often, be late to work frequently, and be clearly unenthused at work. Symptoms may manifest in anger toward the people served by the worker. A doctor who was once a delight to see may constantly be angry and indifferent toward patients, and a teacher who used to take pleasure in teaching now views her students as impossible to teach, and refuses to give them extra help.

One thing noted in many burnout cases is that many people who develop the symptoms were once very dedicated and excellent at their jobs. A piece that is seldom mentioned is how the workplace may have changed to value these workers less. Doctors or nurses may face higher workloads with less additional help. Teachers face more rigorous schedules and performance demands, and may be working with children who have less involved parents, and their salaries may be insufficient to their needs in certain areas of the country.

An interesting contrast is that burnout in Europe is treated as a health and safety hazard, and organizations there must strive to avoid their employees becoming burned out. This means employers must work hard to make sure their employees feel valued and are not overworked. In the US, a person who gets burned out is not viewed in the same manner. It is the employee’s responsibility to avoid stressing to the point where it occurs. This may be changing, especially in the medical field, where many hospitals and medical agencies work with caregivers to help them avoid compassion fatigue, another term for being burned out, often specific to the medical field and other allied health professions.

There are a number of ways to attack this condition. Some people find the best course is to change professions completely, or to take a job in their field that is less stressful. Another method that others try is to seek therapy, and attempt to get at the heart of what causes them stress about their jobs, and how this can help them become wiser and better at what they do. In the interim, while waiting to make a decision about continuing a certain career path, it helps to do what you can to minimize stress and exhaustion. Getting exercise, sleeping properly and recognizing symptoms of disillusionment, dissatisfaction and cynicism as burnout are important. Burnout is often made worse when people deny they have it and turn to temporary solutions like consuming too much alcohol, which ultimately increases the problem.

There is no hard and fast solution for burnout. Talking to a career counselor or to a therapist may help the person determine what they should do. Efforts should be also be made to avoid the condition by finding work opportunities with less stress, and by reducing stress in daily life through a number of stress relieving techniques.